The Post: Plus 1 Pizza, Tim Hortons open on East State Street

Ohio University students hoping to expand their food options down East State Street now have a couple new choices.

Tim Hortons, 903 E. State St., and Plus 1 Pizza, 600 E. State St., both opened this month.

Tim Hortons

For those OU students who favor inexpensive pastries and have an insatiable craving for caffeine, the new Tim Hortons on East State Street is the perfect coffee-shop getaway for an off-campus outing.

Renovating the former Pizza Hut into an ultra-sleek coffeehouse of-the-future ended Friday morning at 6 a.m., when doors opened to fuel the flow of morning consumers. There were lines out the door Saturday morning.

Tim Hortons’ menu is stacked with the traditional coffee selections one would expect of an Americanized coffee venue in addition to hot and cold beverage varieties, such as the caramel latte supreme for $2.49 and a selection of fruit smoothies for $2.59.

What’s more, the bakery menu offers Tim Hortons’ specialities, including TimBits, banana pecan muffins and the popular 99-cent donut, with tempting choices like pumpkin spice, old fashion glazed and the classic Boston cream.

Customers can also enjoy lunch menu offerings, like the steak melt panini for $4.99, or the ham and swiss sandwich for $3.79, with warm-and-filling soups, chilli, or macaroni and cheese — and maybe even a TimBit, or two.

“I think we have great service,” owner Dawn MacDonald said on the weekend of the store’s opening. “I think we have great food and beverages.”

Instead of getting coffee to-go, Athens residents are encouraged to venture inside the renovated Tim Hortons for their daily dose of caffeine. Complete with lounge chairs, a plasma television screen and unlimited Internet access, the modern style of the new Tim Hortons reflects a new industry trend for the Canada-based company.

“There’s no other Tim Hortons like this in North America,” MacDonald said. “We have free WiFi, lots of comfy seating; I think it’s just a nice atmosphere to come and chill out or do homework.”

“It’s a really cool spot,” MacDonald said, without elaborating any further so she could tend to the Saturday morning crowd.

Plus 1 Pizza

Cambridge-based Plus 1 Pizza opened up on East State on Oct. 8. It’s the fifth pizza shop for the Southeast Ohio chain.

“We are fully aware that Athens has its share of national chain pizzerias; however, none of them can promise to bring customer satisfaction one pizza at a time by offering a premium pizza,” owner Bob Fettes Jr. said in a release this month.

The new pizza joint is open 11 a.m. to midnight every day. Customers are encouraged to order online at PlusOnePizza.com, where they can choose a large cheese pizza for $11.25 or spaghetti and garlic bread for $5.99.